It’s been more than 30 years since Rachel Bouchard dominated on the hardwood for the Hall-Dale girls basketball team. It might as well have been yesterday, however, considering the chills that came rushing back when she returned to the Augusta Civic Center on Tuesday.

“You don’t ever forget that feeling,” she said. “My stomach was turning. The whole thing was just such an amazing experience. It’s such a special time. I think if you talk to a lot of high school basketball players, playing in front of that wild town crowd, it’s a wonderful experience.”

Forest Hills standout Evan Worster (23) celebrates with fans after the Tigers defeated Central Aroostook 55-48 in the 2013 Class D State championship game at the Bangor Auditorium. Morning Sentinel photo by Michael G. Seamans

For some, their experiences live on in the form of Maine Principals’ Association tournament records, achievements that fans annually rediscover in their game programs and that belong to names like Lawrence’s Cindy Blodgett, Gorham’s Emily Esposito, Maranacook’s Ryan Martin and plenty more who turned in memorable nights under the postseason’s bright lights.

Some records have stood the test of time, while others are far more recent. Some should stand for years, and some could fall this year.

And as regional quarterfinal rounds of the tournament begin this weekend at Portland, Bangor and Augusta, here are a few central Maine players whose names remain atop the lists.

Rachel Bouchard, Hall-Dale: Most points in a girls South tournament, 109 in 1987

In the final year of her stellar career at Hall-Dale, a season that included selection as the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year, Bouchard finished in fashion, scoring 109 points over three games, a South (formerly West) regional record for all classes. Bouchard also holds the record for field goals in a South tournament with 45 and free throws in a South tournament, with 29 in 1985.

Part of the 6-foot center’s dominance was out of necessity. After graduating veteran pieces from the state championship team the year before, much of the offensive load fell on Bouchard’s shoulders, but she wasn’t looking just to fill a stat sheet.

“I always did feel a great responsibility, but I never felt like ‘I’m going to go and I’m going to score as many points as I can in this game,'” she said. “My mentality was more like ‘I will score the points that I have to score, but if someone else is in a better position, then they’re going to get the ball.'”

Few options, however, beat going to Bouchard, and though Hall-Dale wasn’t the power it had been going into the ’87 tournament, she made sure it had one more run left. Hall-Dale beat Monmouth in the preliminary round, then toppled Yarmouth before falling to Winthrop in the regional semifinals.

During the record-setting run, a middle-schooler in attendance asked Bouchard for her autograph.

“I couldn’t have done that without that team,” she said. “I hope that’s how people look at it. I look at it and go ‘Wow, I shot the ball a lot.'”

Bill Burney, Cony: Most points in a boys Class A North game, 53 in 1969

Cony forward Bill Burney couldn’t hit a shot in practice the night before the Rams’ A East (now North) quarterfinal game against Presque Isle. His coach, Dick Hunt, was worried.

Burney told him not to be.

“I told him ‘I’ll be there tomorrow night,'” he said.

Was he ever. Burney scored 53 points as the Rams won 121-79 at the Bangor Auditorium, setting A North records for points and field goals (17) in a game. Cony also set a state record for points in a playoff game.

“It was just one of those nights,” he said. “I just entered the zone, I guess.”

Cony, like this year’s team, utilized a constant press, and the Rams goaded Presque Isle into one turnover after another. Burney was the player at the front of the press, so he was often the beneficiary in transition.

At halftime, he had 35 points, and was well on his way to smashing the school record of 37 set by Don Crosby.

“At halftime, no one was saying anything, but they all knew something special was happening,” Burney said. “People could sense it.”

Burney “only” scored 18 from there, but Cony, which also got 17 points from Charlie Monty and 13 from Dave Parquette, scored 68 to break open a 53-45 game.

“Our defense was our offense,” Burney said. “We were in sync there. We were in lock down mode that night.”

Robbie Morin, Hall-Dale: Most 3-pointers in a playoff game, 10 in 1990

Leaving the court after his team’s victory over Wiscasset in a boys Class C prelim game, Hall-Dale guard Robbie Morin was just happy to be heading to the Civic Center.

Nobody’s ever provided quite the hand Morin did in getting the Bulldogs there. In Hall-Dale’s 76-67 victory, Morin knocked down 10 3-pointers, a state playoff record for both genders, en route to 48 points, which still stands as the C South mark.

“It’s (like) those days in the backyard where you’re just shooting, shooting, shooting, and one of those nights where everything went in,” he said. “I had no idea it was a record. I didn’t know until two years later.”

Morin had scored 42 points in an earlier matchup with the Wolverines, but his touch was never hotter than that final game on his home court. Pressed into service at point guard due to an illness, Morin was free to let it fly.

“I didn’t know I had that many threes,” he said. “You get lost in that moment of the game, where it’s we’re up 2, we’re down 1, we’re up 3, and we’ve got to get a basket here, we’ve got to score. I never had in my mind ‘Oh my God, I’ve probably got seven, eight, nine, 10 threes now.’ ”

By the time Hall-Dale’s run was over, Morin had 13 3-pointers — also a C South tournament record.

“I think I had that mentality anyway,” he said. “I liked scoring baskets.”

Sophie Holmes, Messalonskee: Most 3-pointers in a girls A North tournament, 12 in 2016

The 2017 tournament was Holmes’s highlight, as the high-scoring guard led Messalonskee to an undefeated record and the Class A state title. But she was hardly a Civic Center newcomer, as the year before she knocked down a record 12 3-pointers over three games as the Eagles reached the A North final.

Messalonskee senior guard Sophie Holmes, right, tries to get around Brunswick senior guard Brooke Barter during the 2017 Class A state final at the Augusta Civic Center. Kennebec Journal photo by Joe Phelan

“I was lucky enough to have Ally Turner and McKenna Brodeur, who are collegiate athletes,” said Holmes, now a junior and the leading scorer at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, New Hampshire. “I just had teammates who really found me and put me in the best position to score.”

Holmes wasted no time, knocking down six 3-pointers en route to 34 points in a 64-44 quarterfinal win over Waterville. She followed with 24 points in a 55-47 win over Gardiner, then scored 19 in a 59-44 loss to Nia Irving and Lawrence.

Her hot hand that run gave Messalonskee a chance, but Holmes never thought about the numbers she was putting up.

“Coming off screens and having my teammates find me allowed me to get rhythm shots, which are the best shots, usually,” Holmes said. “I don’t even think about how much I score or how well I did. I just looked at the score at the end of the game and hopefully Messalonskee outscored the other team.”

Evan Worster, Forest Hills: Most points scored in a Class D game, 51 in 2012

There have been plenty of high scorers over the years at Forest Hills, but there haven’t been any with a run like Worster had in 2012.

The Tigers’ 6-2 forward poured in a D West (now South) tournament record 106 points that year, and the magnum opus was a 51-point effort that set a Class D playoff record and led Forest Hills to an 88-37 quarterfinal win over A.R. Gould.

“I had a big size advantage, they didn’t have a lot of height on that team,” Worster said. “We had some really good quick hitters to get me open in the paint, and I did a lot of damage early.”

The Tigers kept feeding their star junior. Worster notched 21 field goals that game, also a D South record.

“I definitely got into a rhythm in that game,” he said. “I knew at the half I had quite a few points, but I had no idea before I got pulled how many I had.”

Worster had 14 points in the first quarter and 31 by halftime. He had eight in the third quarter, then scored 12 in the fourth to break Matt Baker’s 1991 Class D mark of 46 points.

And he wasn’t done. Worster had 33 points in the Tigers’ 61-60 regional final victory over Hyde.

“It all came together at that time,” Worster said. “It all clicked in that three-game stretch.”

« Previous

Next »

Related Stories